Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) is
making one-time funds available to vocational rehabilitation (VR) partners and
providers and potential providers to expand and improve the provision of VR
services to individuals with disabilities.

The
following opportunities with a deadline date ofJuly 31st includes support for:

Ohio’s
Community Centers for the Deaf and Speech and Hearing Centers to obtain CARF
accreditation;

Innovative
strategies to increase access to VR services for underserved populations and
improve outcomes for individuals served; and

Development
of new Summer Youth Work Experience sites in higher wage and in-demand
occupations.

The
following opportunity with a deadline date ofAugust 2nd includes support for:

Ohio Centers for Independent Living to obtain CARF
accreditation.

For more information about these
opportunities and the deadline dates, visit OOD’s
website.

Also, OOD will offer funding for provider staff to obtain
the Certified Employment Support Professional (CESP) certification and Work
Incentives Practitioner (WIP) training and credentialing through Cornell
University. Providers who are interested
are asked to complete a brief survey by July 31, 2017.

If you lost your ability to read print, you
might fear going back to school, long to read on your own again or simply feel frustrated
when elevator buttons become meaningless.

On June 29th, six Ohio adults
committed themselves to read again as they graduated from the Cleveland Sight
Center beginning Braille Literacy course. This 10-week class was funded
through the Ohio Department of Higher Education’s ASPIRE (formerly ABLE) program and was promoted
with the help of OOD’s Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired (BSVI).

In Ohio, there are approximately 132,000 working-age
adults with serious visual impairments, which contributes to a high
unemployment rate within this group. OOD and the Ohio Department of Higher
Education agree that illiteracy is a barrier to employment and social
integration in the blind community.

The Adult Basic and Literacy
Education (ABLE) program was recently renamed to better accommodate the needs
of the program. The new name, Aspire, better reflects what the program offers and the goals of the enrolled students.

The ABLE program, funded through
the Ohio Department of Higher Education, has been in Ohio for more
than 50 years. All adult education programs in Ohio will now carry the name
Aspire.

Jo Ann Kulle was accustomed to being a caregiver, not
a person needing help. For years, she assisted her uncle in his 90s with things
he needed. After a car accident, falling down stairs and cutting her fingers
while cooking, she had to admit she was losing her sight. This led her to limiting her outings and becoming, as she put it, a hermit in the dark.

From her uncle, she learned about OOD’s Independent Living services.
While working with OOD, it was determined that a certified vision
rehabilitation therapist was needed to modify her condo and expand her
independence. After receiving training on activities of daily living and
low-vision lighting, cooking aids and appliance modifications, Jo Ann is able
to live a more independent and less isolated life. Great job Jo Ann!

In June, OOD
joined the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio State Highway Patrol at the newly renovated rest areas off I-75 in Wood County for
a ribbon cutting ceremony.

The main
buildings were refurbished along with upgraded OOD Business Enterprise (BE) program
branding, signage and equipment with the goal to better serve the traveling
public and to increase foot traffic to the vending machines. An OOD BE operator runs the vending machines at the rest areas.

OOD’s BE program provides entrepreneurship opportunities to
individuals who are blind or visually impaired. As you travel this summer, be sure to stop by rest areas and buy a snack!

OOD’s Division of Disability Determination (DDD) staff is
increasing outreach efforts this year to provide better service to Ohioans with
disabilities. Professional relations officers serve as DDD liaisons to local
Social Security Administration (SSA) field offices throughout the state of
Ohio. In March, the liaison team began visiting local SSA offices to share
information, answer questions and increase communication with field staff. An
invitation was extended to all 55 SSA field offices across the state, and thus
far, the team has visited 13 offices and have 16 more visits scheduled.

Recently, OOD’s Whitehall office requested a presentation by the DDD team for
information on the division’s business processes. Overall, the response has
been positive and it is expected that these events will improve awareness
and service for Ohioans.

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) NEWSLINE is a free
jobs and information service available to any Ohioan who is visually impaired,
print-disabled or unable to turn pages. Since July 2007, OOD has been a proud sponsor of NEWSLINE. The new contract insures an additional two years of
service for all Ohioans who want and need this service. NEWSLINE offers more
than 400 English and Spanish publications, including 22 newspapers
from around Ohio and access to 10 national newspapers. To
subscribe, call 866-504-7300 or visit nfbnewslineonline.org.

The
Governor's Council on People with Disabilities (GCPD) annually recognizes
businesses, groups and individuals who have significantly contributed to
employment opportunities and community involvement for people with
disabilities. This year,
the awards ceremony will be presented on September 29th at the Ohio Statehouse. If you are interested in submitting a nomination or for more information, visit gcpd.ohio.gov. Nominations must be received by July 15th.

Wireless
Emergency Alerts (WEA) are free, pop-up notifications on your mobile device that notifies you of a dangerous situation in your area. The Georgia Institute of Technology created a factsheet that provides
a description of smartphone apps that can be used to enhance WEA access.
It also explains the different apps, their features and how to use them. For more
information, visit wirelessrerc.org.